This exhibition invites visitors to explore how a book can “radiate” beyond the page to the wider world. How do books work? What is their impact, both on individuals and the broader society? How have our answers to these questions changed over time, and what is yet to come?

Radiant Pages focuses on the book in both physical form and as a concept. It challenges us to rethink our very definition of what a book is, and to imagine its future possibilities. As media, books can inspire inventive works of visual art. The printed volume can serve not just as a transparent vessel for the delivery of content, but as a beautiful object, requiring labor, craft, and care. The book can be a singular item communicating the authors ideas to us or as a collaboration between author and artists, or as object that explore what a “book” itself is.

The art in this exhibition includes pieces from the Art Museum of WVU’s own collection, the Rare Books Collection at West Virginia University’s libraries, and loans from the Cincinnati Art Museum. The partnership with Cincinnati is generously supported by the Art Bridges Foundation and is part of their ongoing museum cohort program.

This exhibition was co-curated by the 2024 Art Museum of WVU Faculty Fellow, Adam Komisaruk, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the WVU Department of English, in collaboration with Art Museum of WVU curator Robert Bridges and curator of education Heather Harris.